


Unknown Expectations

by Anonymous



Series: Useless19's Prompt Fills [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Implied Sticky, M/M, Mechpreg, Oblivious Prime, Pre-Series, weird carrying symptoms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29296395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: It's clear as day that Optimus is sparked, now if only he'd let Megatron talk to him about their impending shared creation.Or: Optimus wishes Megatron was less persistent in wanting another round of interface — why else would he be trying to get Optimus alone all the time?
Relationships: Megatron/Optimus Prime
Series: Useless19's Prompt Fills [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1684114
Comments: 14
Kudos: 142
Collections: Maccadam's Back Room First Run





	Unknown Expectations

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [Maccadams1](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Maccadams1) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Megatron knows fragging Optimus that one time after that battle where he really, really thought the Quints had gotten Optimus was a bad idea. He’s making sure it won’t happen again, and he knows Optimus is equally wary of a repeat performance.  
> He just wishes Optimus would talk to him, because Megatron is pretty darn certain it isn’t a coincidence that Optimus has lately been exhibiting every symptom of carrying in the book …
> 
> Or that story where Optimus is pregnant and totally convinced he can’t be, Megatron is the first to realise and desperate to protect Optimus and Ratchet and Hook (or Knock Out, up to you) team up to get Optimus to let them examine him.
> 
> * All ratings welcome.  
> * No rape/non-con please, sex can fueled by adrenaline and later perhaps some repressed feelings, but no coercion involved.  
> * Megatron and Optimus don’t have to be a couple at the end, but amicable co-parents would be nice.  
> * Non-human symptoms of carrying preferable (higher energon consumption, unpredictable system errors, field fluctuations or whatever else you can think of).  
> * If you like, Optimus can avoid being alone with Megatron like the plague because he is thinking Megatron wants a repeat performance when all Megatron wants is to ask him why he isn’t telling him about the pregnancy.
> 
>  **AN:** Hope TFP is ok.

The Quintesson city-ship smashed into the ground, sinking through the fragile shale and embedding itself in the planet's surface. Fires sprung up and spread, burning fuel and living creatures alike. The ship sheared and crumbled into pieces.

Optimus watched it all from too close. The shock and heat of the impact would have knocked him off his pedes if he'd been standing. As it was, he had to brace against the other mech beside him to avoid being knocked completely prone.

Megatron turned to him, optics melted from the charge that had run through him a minute before in order to take the city-ship out of the sky. The soft prickle of sonar pinged over Optimus's plating.

"You're alive," Megatron said.

"There was always a chance." Optimus started unplugging the mess of wires that stretched between them. Several of them had been welded in place by the power rush — he would need to either cut the wires or remove the ports. Neither option was appealing.

Megatron's cannon arm twitched. Red glowing circuitry sat beneath Megatron's plating, the cannon itself was sparking and smoking worryingly. All in all, he looked wrecked.

Optimus was distracted from his assessment by Megatron grinning sharply.

"You're _alive_ ," Megatron repeated.

"We both are," Optimus said.

It hadn't been Optimus's expectation. Rerouting the Matrix's power through Megatron's fusion cannon had been a last-ditch attempt that shouldn't have worked as well as it did. However, Optimus would not — _could_ not — have allowed the Quintessons to destroy the native inhabitants of the planet, or the combined Autobot and Decepticon forces that had made their last stand there.

Megatron laughed. "We're alive." His sonar pinged faster. Sparks flew from Megatron's cannon arm and a horrendous grinding noise started as he tried to move it.

"Megatron —" Optimus started.

"Hush," Megatron said, shifting his weight and clumsily grabbing Optimus with his working arm. "I want to enjoy my — _our_ — victory."

By finishing off his foe while Optimus was weakened.

For a moment, Optimus was surprised by how disappointed he felt. Then Megatron pulled him into a messy kiss, which bypassed Optimus's glitching defences because it wasn't an attack.

_Oh._

He couldn't stop Megatron lying over him. He didn't _want_ to stop Megatron. It might not have been Optimus's first priority in their victory, but he was happy to open for Megatron and, well, just this once couldn't hurt.

"Yes," Optimus said, muffled.

His limbs were still slow to respond and Megatron was hardly at his best with a paralysed arm and no optics, but they were alive. They'd survived.

And, for a fraught few blissful hours, Optimus didn't have to worry about Autobots or Decepticons or if any Quintessons had survived their assault.

* * *

Optimus onlined with a choked vent. His filters were blocked and it took his recharge-addled processor several moments to find the right command to hold his breath and let his ventilation systems run through a slow careful cycle.

His systems were sluggish, but responded and gave a much better damage report given the chance to complete a cycle.

There was definitely something stuck against his filters, but as long as Optimus kept his vents shallow, he could avoid choking long enough to find the filter brushes and clean them off. He got up, intending on doing so before anyone else saw him.

Unfortunately, Ratchet was already up and about when Optimus made his way to the tool storage. He was cataloguing the supplies the humans had offered them — primitive technology that was in poor repair — and looked grateful for an interruption.

"Well, what is it?"

"Does there have to be anything wrong?" Optimus said.

"With you? Yes." Ratchet picked up a small monitor and tossed it in the pile to scrap for parts. "What's the matter? Need your suspension tightened? Bulkhead keeps complaining that the gravity's too low here."

"It is just a blocked filter," Optimus said.

" _Just_ a blocked filter," Ratchet grumbled. " _Don't worry about the planet, Ratchet. It's only a bit of silica, Ratchet_. You of all mechs should know: new planet, new filters."

He plucked the brushes from the pile of tools and approached Optimus anyway.

"Yes, Ratchet."

"I bet you haven't been doubling them up either."

"I may have forgotten to," Optimus admitted, since he couldn't remember exactly what he'd done with his filters during the rest of the process of settling down on the planet.

"Optimus," Ratchet sighed. "Come on, let's get you fixed up."

They moved to the training hangar. Optimus held still with his arms up to allow Ratchet access to his vents.

"Well, the good news is: you've got two filters — on this side at least," Ratchet said, brushing a light dusting of sand off Optimus's ventral filters. "The bad news is: that if you're this choked up when half your filters are clean, it's going to be bad on the other side. What have you been driving on recently?"

"Nothing worse than dirt and sand."

"Hmm." Ratchet fixed the ventral filters back in and switched to Optimus's other side. "I hope it's not a local organic then."

Optimus couldn't help a shudder at the thought. Ratchet probably meant one of the many tiny local indigenous life forms. However, the first local organic to spring to his neural net was always humans.

"That's odd," Ratchet said slowly.

Optimus didn't need to ask, he could see the lack of debris on his dorsal filters in Ratchet's hands.

"Hold still," Ratchet said. He took a step back and scanned Optimus. Whatever he saw on the readout made him frown. "Alright, let me get these back in."

"Is there something I should be concerned about?" Optimus asked.

"You've got a mineral build-up. Bumblebee's got the same, though he's got less than you," Ratchet said, screwing a filter back in place. "The energon on this planet is surprisingly high quality — moreso than any other stockpile we've come across — it's almost Cybertron-quality. I believe that's the cause of your ventilation issues; your frame's trying to incorporate higher-quality materials into your systems but they haven't properly calibrated for it yet."

"How long will it take to resolve the issue?" Optimus asked.

"I'd say a month, maybe less if you're lucky," Ratchet said. "At least with that much excess minerals your self-repair should be running optimally."

"I am glad for anything that will prevent you from worrying over me," Optimus said.

"I always worry, you know me." Ratchet shut Optimus's vent. "Anyway, let me know if you get any notifications about approaching heats — excess minerals are stored in the gestation tank and it might prompt your reproductive protocols to engage at an inopportune time."

That was highly unlikely but good to know.

"I will keep you informed."

* * *

Establishing a foothold on an Autobot-infested planet was always duller than Megatron remembered it being. Especially on a planet with an organic species already sliming about.

Wiping out the dominant species would be the easiest method, however any attack against the humans would risk Autobot detection and Soundwave's projections put the humans at a higher threat level than their primitive space-faring abilities suggested. There were just so many of them that any assault that wasn't planet-wide would only give them a ten per cent casualty rate and lose the element of surprise.

No, the human vehicles allowed the Decepticons to blend in and have an easy opportunity to spend their downtime amidst aliens without having to work out a schedule for visiting other planets — schedules that Megatron always vetoed and had to deal with surly workers and medics for the next few years.

Why they couldn't get all their excitement fighting Autobots, Megatron would never know.

Boredom had driven Megatron to spend his time in the newest mining site. Overseeing mining equipment and scheduling energon pickups was marginally more exciting than waiting on the bridge for reports of Autobot incursions. The novelty would wear off quickly, but, for now, it was gratifying to see physical results in the form of freshly unearthed energon and filled cubes.

"Lord Megatron!" a Vehicon rushed up to him. "Autobots! Prime's here!"

Megatron grinned. _Finally_ , excitement.

And no memories of his last encounter with Optimus would get in the way.

* * *

One would think that an entire planet with over five-hundred-million square kilometres of landmass would allow Autobots and Decepticons to, if not coexist in peace, at least find different sources of fuel. There was enough energon cached on Earth to feed both sides for a few decades, so the smaller band of Autobots should have been able to set up a mine without Decepticons showing up and ruining it.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

"Optimus! Grenade!"

Optimus dived to the side, transforming as he went to gain extra distance. The air pressure in his tyres was low as he hit the ground and caused his rims to scrape against the rocky ground until he righted himself properly.

That was something he'd have to get Ratchet to look at when they were back at their base — perhaps Optimus wasn't adapting well to this planet after all.

"You alright, Prime?" Arcee called.

"I am fine," Optimus said. "Cover Bulkhead."

Arcee turned her blasters towards the Decepticons shooting at Bulkhead as he ran for one of the many drills in the mine. It was just the three of them and, faced with so much opposition, it was looking like they would have to abandon this mission before they lost more energon than they had obtained. Bulkhead could be counted on to make a mess with the drills and buy them the time needed to escape.

The Autobots Optimus had found himself in the company of were only partly known on a personal level. Ratchet, Bumblebee and, more recently, Bulkhead had been by Optimus's side for a long time now, but Arcee and Cliffjumper had only joined since Optimus had made his refuge on Earth and called for any Autobots to make their way there if at all possible.

That he'd only had two responses so far was somewhat worrying.

Arcee was clearly unused to working with anyone else. Only Cliffjumper's unending stream of chatter was able to make her smile some days. And Cliffjumper himself was a mech who had been very lucky, surviving where others of his many previous groups hadn't.

In Optimus's experience, mechs like that were very lucky up until they very suddenly weren't.

" _Optimus Prime!_ "

Optimus spun around at the shout. Megatron dropped down from the higher level of the mine, grin firmly in place and optics alight with danger.

So he hadn't taken their mutual victory over the Quintessons as potential for further collaboration. Once again, Optimus was surprised at how much disappointment his emotional coprocessor generated at the thought.

"Go and take Bulkhead with you," Optimus ordered Arcee. "I will catch up once I have dealt with Megatron."

Arcee nodded sharply and transformed, driving for the exit.

"This energon store belongs to the Decepticons," Megatron said, striding forward confidently. "But I thank you for allowing me to rid the universe of its last Prime."

"I will not fall so easily," Optimus said. His combat protocols shifted into the familiar patterns they had long learnt from each and every encounter he'd had with Megatron.

Megatron laughed. "So be it."

He lunged. Optimus drove forward to meet him, blade to blade.

"You've gotten slow, Optimus," Megatron taunted, after Optimus missed an opening and was kicked back across the tunnel. "It's been barely half a year since our last meeting, surely your combat coding hasn't dulled so quickly?"

Optimus hung back as he tried to readjust to his delayed responses. Usually this would be when he had to avoid being shot, but Megatron's cannon stayed inert. A charge from a Vehicon's blaster would set the whole mine off if it struck raw energon. It was almost guaranteed that Megatron's heavy-duty fusion blasts would cause a chain reaction, even if he didn't hit an energon crystal directly.

Megatron rushed him. Optimus barely got his blades up in time to block a blow that would've taken his helm off.

Optimus's HUD flashed up a warning that he had to change gears or risk stalling. That made no sense given he was in robot mode. He tried to force it to dismiss the notification but — to his utter mortification — his smokestacks vented a cloud of hissing white smoke, distracting him further.

They weren't supposed to do that. Especially not after so little exertion.

Optimus dropped the priority of all his systems bar his combat one. Or he tried to at least. His temperature-, climate-, and energon-regulation systems were resistant and blared warnings at him whenever he tried to downgrade their access to his systems queue.

When Optimus finally managed to clear his HUD, he noticed something else extremely wrong: Megatron was holding back, not taking advantage for some reason. Surprise and curiosity warred on his faceplates and he retracted his sword.

"You could have told me," Megatron said, optics fixed on Optimus's windscreens.

Optimus glanced down, expecting a bomb or some other trick that Megatron was watching. He saw nothing but his regular windscreens — admittedly opaque from debris, but normal nonetheless.

"Told you what?" Optimus said, confused. "My physical state is _none_ of your business, Megatron."

Megatron's engine turned over violently. " _None of my business?_ " He snarled. "I thought I'd seen the furthest you could fall, _Prime_ , but this is a new low."

"I do not care if you find our —" _encounters_ now had a different meaning and Optimus changed what he'd planned to say, "— fights entertaining. The Autobots need fuel and I will not let them starve because of your greed."

"How can you still fight?" Megatron demanded.

"I will fight you as long as it is necessary," Optimus said.

Megatron backed off. For a moment, Optimus's combat protocols kicked into overdrive, trying to spot the trap, then his tactical net realised Megatron was _retreating_.

"Decepticons," Megatron called over an amplified channel, "fall back."

Megatron must have rigged the mine to blow and used Optimus's glitching to run down the clock. Optimus retreated instead of chasing Megatron down and ran back to the Autobots.

"Autobots, fall back!" Optimus shouted over his comms. "We must get out of the mine, _now_."

"But what about the energon?" Bulkhead asked.

"Energon doesn't mean scrap if we're not around to make use of it," Arcee said tightly.

"The energon may be about to be taken out of the equation," Optimus said. "Clear the blast radius."

Optimus transformed and pushed his accelerator to maximum. Any second now, the mine could blow. Megatron wouldn't have risked a long fuse.

And yet, everything was still after Optimus had rendezvoused outside the mine with Bulkhead and Arcee.

"That's odd," Bulkhead said. "I figured it would've blown by now."

"Autobots, return to base," Optimus ordered. "I will scout the mine alone."

"With all due respect, Prime, one of us should probably do it instead," Arcee said.

"You may be more adept at scouting stealthily," Optimus allowed, "however, Megatron is here and I will not risk your sparks against him."

"I know when to not engage," Arcee said.

"Megatron's behaviour is concerning," Optimus said. "As I have known him the longest, it would stand to reason that I am the best placed to discern whatever tricks he has in play. Return to base — I will call for you if I need backup."

Arcee gave a stiff nod.

Optimus transformed and set off. Re-entering the mines would be foolish, but an outside perspective may yet yield results. Other entry points might hold answers.

Yet, Optimus completed his circuit with no outside indication that this was more than a standard energon deposit. How strange.

If the Decepticons had truly abandoned a fully stocked energon mine, then the Autobots would do well to make use of it. Careful and more thorough scouting would be necessary — Arcee would get her wish to spy on potential Decepticons.

"Ratchet, I am heading back to base," Optimus said. "I will let you know when I am at the Ground Bridge coordinates."

Optimus drove back towards their entry point. There was no sense in asking Ratchet to adjust the Ground Bridge a scarce half kilometre when Optimus could run his wheels for a few minutes to cover the distance.

The scream of a heavy jet overhead was all the warning Optimus got before Megatron fell out of the sky and landed in front of him. Optimus swerved and transformed, stumbling as his low-pressure tyres clipped a rock.

"Megatron." Optimus let the word run through his comms to warn Ratchet.

"Optimus." Megatron raised his chin. He had yet to raise a weapon, which was odd.

"Why are you here?" Optimus asked.

The Ground Bridge that had brought the Autobots to the vicinity of the mine wasn't far away. If Optimus could get close enough without alerting Megatron, then he would be able to escape. He started to circle, relying on Megatron's combat instincts to keep pace with him.

"Clearly you didn't want to discuss such a delicate topic in front of your soldiers," Megatron said, falling into step as Optimus had hoped. "Fine. We have privacy now. So _why didn't you tell me?_ "

"It is not in my interests to give you information that may give you an advantage in our confrontations," Optimus said.

"You think I would use something like that in a _confrontation?_ " Megatron said, far more aghast than Optimus felt the situation merited.

"I have learnt to never believe that you cannot sink lower," Optimus said.

Megatron's engine turned over and he started pacing back and forth. He was rarely one for such fidgety displays and Optimus started wondering if he was functioning at a lowered capacity and should be seeing a medic instead of Optimus right now.

Optimus threw that thought off, if he started generating concern for Megatron then he would hesitate in combat and that could not be allowed to happen.

"Against the Quintessons —" Megatron started. He hissed in the back of his intake. "Optimus, I know we have our differences, but —"

"Your actions on this planet speak louder than any half-suggested truce during our battle," Optimus said. "I will not stand down while you threaten the dominant species here."

"Truce? This is more than a truce," Megatron said.

He reached for Optimus with his unarmed servo. Optimus had a sudden flashback to a scorched shale plain, sonar prickles on his plating, and another left-handed touch.

 _Oh_.

It should not have been a surprise that Megatron would want another interface session, he was always greedy for immediate victory. However, he should know better than to expect the same from Optimus.

"No, Megatron," Optimus said firmly.

"No?" Megatron echoed, confused. "You can't just deny —"

"I can." Optimus edged backwards. He was almost to the right coordinates.

Megatron just stared at him. He kept making aborted movements and opening his mouth only to close it again. It was rather disconcerting.

Another step and Optimus was close enough.

"Ratchet! Now!"

The Ground Bridge swirled to life behind Optimus. He threw himself backwards into it, landing on all six wheels.

" _Optimus!_ " Megatron roared furiously behind him.

Optimus ignored him and kept driving, trusting Ratchet's skill with the Ground Bridge to keep Megatron from following.

Sure enough, Megatron's heavy pedesteps cut off abruptly as the Ground Bridge closed on Optimus's rear bumper. He fishtailed as the closing energy surge buffeted him, but held his course for the Autobot base.

Thank goodness that was over and Megatron wouldn't try to get Optimus alone again for any reason other than to try to extinguish his spark.

* * *

Megatron landed on the _Nemesis's_ top deck in a foul mood. Thwarted! Again!

It was the _third_ time he'd gotten Optimus alone to discuss their impending newspark and Optimus had yet again rebuffed him. Had gone so far as to _threaten_ Megatron when he knew damn well that Megatron wasn't willing to threaten back just now.

It was enough to make his tanks burn.

Megatron stormed through the corridors of his ship. Decepticons hurriedly got out of his way, further darkening his mood. He wanted to _scrap_ something.

"Knock Out!"

It was always satisfying to see the doctor jump at Megatron's arrival in the medbay. It was a good reminder that Megatron would only take so much of his back talk and there would be a good deal of falling in line in the near future. Breakdown was similarly flinching in the corner.

"Yes, Lord Megatron?" Knock Out said, quickly tidying up a pile of contraband into a crate and shoving it aside. "What can I help you with today? A repaint or shine, perhaps?"

"Gestation periods," Megatron said. "How long are they?"

Knock Out's optics flicked down Megatron's frame. He gulped when Megatron bared his denta.

"That depends on the frame types and spark frequencies of both carrier and sire," Knock Out said slowly. "Just one moment, I'll bring up the charts."

Knock Out fiddled with the databank until an incomprehensible four-dimensional graph appeared. Megatron scowled at it, but it was out of his area of expertise.

"Explain."

"Of course, my liege." Knock Out pointed to part of the graph with a flourish, clearly glad that he was necessary. "The newspark will determine its own final framing given enough time and a good, mineral-rich diet. However, what its first frame will be is decided by what can fit in its carrier's gestation tank. A truck won't start as a truck if its carrier is a two-seater."

"And if a truck carries a two-seater?" Megatron asked.

"Then they'll have a head-start on the minerals their final frame will need." Knock Out pointed to another section of the graph. "Newsparks are _always_ small, even if their carrier could fit close to their fully-grown size class in their tank. Plating density is prioritised over strut growth." He paused. "If I may, my liege, we could talk for a year about exact spark frequencies and framing sequencing and still not cover everything. Is there something in particular you'd like to know?"

"Optimus is expecting," Megatron said. "I'd like to know when his emergence will happen so I can fight him again without risking the newspark's health."

There was definitely relief on Knock Out's faceplates when he twigged that he wasn't going to have to be Megatron's natal unit. Then his expression turned sly.

"Am I to assume you clanged Prime?" Knock Out asked. "My, I'm surprised that you — ah, that Prime had it in him."

"Spare me your quips," Megatron snarled.

"Assuming Prime's diet is average-quality and that the sparkling's going to be _large_ ," Knock Out traced several lines on the graph until he reached a point where they all converged. "You're looking at… one hundred and ninety days. Six months. I'd hazard a guess that it might take an extra two weeks on top of that, given Prime's habit of throwing himself into a fight — self-repair will only prioritise the newspark as long as the carrier is functioning."

"That seems quick," Breakdown said.

"It's not. There's only so long a spark can withstand the extra voltage," Knock Out said. "If the frame isn't ready in time then it's a fifty-fifty shot whether the newspark will try to graft anyway or just get reabsorbed. If it's closely monitored and caught at the right time, then a manual graft into a ready-made frame would increase its chances if the _home_ -made frame isn't up to snuff."

"Can you be certain of a date?" Megatron asked.

"A scan's the only way to be sure." Knock Out shrugged. "Assuming that Prime's got a frame ready, that newspark will detach in six months from the date of conception. If not then he'd better hope that his spark is strong enough to hold onto it until his gestation tank catches up or…"

Megatron didn't like the sound of that. Optimus wasn't one for looking after himself if there were tiny, pointless, fleshy creatures to protect instead.

"Does Prime know when it's due?" Knock Out asked.

"That should be obvious," Megatron said. "Optimus knows when we interfaced and it was just the once." There was a half-formed thought at that, gone before Megatron could pin it down.

This was useless. What was he missing?

"What are the symptoms of carrying?" Megatron said, frustrated.

"Dulled paint, lowered tyre pressure, slowed self-repair as it prioritises newspark frame-growth," Knock Out listed off. "And any number of climate-regulation systems and lights going awry as the coding is copied for newspark use."

"Sounds a lot like new-planet-pits," Breakdown said. "Half the Vehicons have those symptoms from all the new energon and gravity and terrain."

"And that's why I'm the medic and you're just my assistant. For all that… assisting I need," Knock Out said in a teasing tone.

Urgh, subordinate romance. Megatron made a note to have Knock Out and Breakdown assigned to energon patrol so he wouldn't have to see them canoodling all the time.

"But a spark scan should say for certain," Knock Out continued. "Even a base scan will show enough increased voltage in the spark that any half-decent medic wouldn't read a false negative."

There was still something missing. The final piece of the puzzle.

"Optimus knows about the newspark," Megatron said, testing the words. It tasted falser the more he thought about it.

"He'd have to be pretty blind to not notice he was carrying," Knock Out agreed. "So, that conception date…? I assume he's not the sort to swap charge with just anyone."

"He's not." It couldn't be that simple. Optimus wasn't that oblivious to his own frame, was he? "Optimus doesn't know."

"Doesn't know what?" Breakdown asked.

"Optimus doesn't know about the newspark," Megatron said. "That's why he's been putting himself in danger and avoiding talking to me about it."

"Don't the Autobots have a medic?" Knock Out asked. "Isn't there always one assigned to the Prime? Surely he would've noticed, even if Prime hasn't."

"Optimus wouldn't want to trouble his old friend over minor niggles," Megatron said. He huffed a laugh. "Optimus doesn't know. Ha! That will be a surprise in a week."

Knock Out's optic ridges disappeared under his helm. "A week?"

"Breakdown, prepare a frame," Megatron ordered. "Knock Out, with me. We're going to get a clear scan of Optimus and offer him suitable accommodations for his emergence."

Breakdown looked panicked. Knock Out elbowed him sharply.

"Yes, Lord Megatron," Knock Out said smoothly over Breakdown's stammers. "I'll fetch my equipment and meet you on the bridge?"

"Be quick about it."

As Megatron left the medbay, he overheard Knock Out hurriedly hissing at Breakdown to just grab deactivated Vehicon parts and bring them to the medbay. Optimus had better have forged a frame himself, because Megatron wasn't going to accept anything less than something truly born of a Prime.

* * *

Optimus kept one wing mirror pointed at the sky as he drove along the highway. Megatron had been able to find him worryingly often when he'd ventured outside the base on patrol.

It was tiring, being stuck in the base or constantly alert. Optimus's systems were draining his energon reserves quicker than usual to make up for the stress he was under. Getting outside for a drive was also a way of getting away from Ratchet's worried gaze.

Optimus hit a stretch of empty open road and spent a comfortable hour shifting from low speed to high speed and giving his gearbox a good workout. Driving for the sake of driving wasn't something he got to do very often and it was amazing how stress-relieving it was.

That lasted until a red sports car drew alongside Optimus and honked. Usually the sort of attention Optimus drew wasn't from humans who drove that sort of car.

"Are those shiny tail lights just for me? You shouldn't have," the car drawled.

That _wasn't_ a human.

Optimus pushed his accelerator harder. He had a bigger engine and more wheels than this Decepticon, he'd win out in speed eventually — or at least endurance.

"So _that's_ how you want to play?" The car sped up to match Optimus's acceleration. "It's not _me_ you should be worrying about, you know?"

Optimus cast his sensors up just in time to spot a heavy-duty jet dropping from the sky. Optimus braked and transformed, battle mask firmly in place. Megatron landed in front of him, cracking the asphalt.

"Hello, Optimus."

The car transformed behind Optimus, smirking. Escape would be difficult, but not impossible.

"Megatron."

"I've come to make you a proposal," Megatron said.

Optimus nearly shut his optics in frustration. Enough was enough.

"For the last time, _no_ , Megatron."

"I fear you've been labouring under a misapprehension," Megatron said grandiosely. "Allow me to lift the veil. Knock Out!"

"Yes, Lord Megatron." The Decepticon behind Optimus raised an implement — Optimus braced himself as his processor ran through a hundred possible torture devices it could be, then the gentle glow of a medical scan washed over his plating.

The smirk fell off Knock Out's faceplates when he read the results.

"There's no secondary spark signature," Knock Out said disbelievingly. "There's no newspark, Lord Megatron."

" _What?!_ " Megatron roared. "Scan him again!"

Knock Out scanned Optimus before he could react. They were looking for a newspark? In _Optimus?_

What on earth had given Megatron the impression that Optimus was _sparked?_

"Nothing," Knock Out said.

Even expecting the utter fury that settled on Megatron's faceplates didn't give Optimus a chance to piece together what he was going to say in retaliation. It still didn't make any sense.

A _newspark?_

"Megatron —" Optimus started.

Megatron roared in frustration and engaged his blade.

"I have had it with your _tricks!_ " Megatron threw himself at Optimus.

"Tricks, Megatron?" Optimus gave up ground rather than meet Megatron head-on. "I have played no deception here."

" _Liar!_ "

Whatever the reason for Megatron's current madness, Optimus didn't care to find out. Thankfully Knock Out was just as wary about getting close to Megatron and Optimus was able to arrange his escape before his glitching systems allowed Megatron to take him offline once and for all.

* * *

"Megatron believed me to be sparked," Optimus said once he was back at base.

Ratchet dropped the patch he'd been using to temporarily seal up Optimus's armour and stared at him.

"And he attacked you?" Ratchet asked, aghast.

"That happened only after his medic could not find a secondary spark signature," Optimus said. "Megatron took the news poorly."

"That's one way of putting it," Ratchet grumbled, picking up the patch and readying his welder again. "Hold still."

"I do not understand why Megatron would have thought it to be the case," Optimus said. "To have caught a spark after so many years of war…"

"You've got all the symptoms," Ratchet admitted. He stopped welding to count them off on his digits. "Enough mineral buildup to forge a sparkling frame. Sensitive filters. Low tyre pressure. Slow self-repair. And even your windscreens have frosted and that's a rare sign. However, there's no spark resonance and that's the important one."

"That would be why Megatron was so insistent on the matter," Optimus said.

At least that explained that.

"Plus you need to have interfaced to get sparked," Ratchet continued. "Which you would've told me if you had, since I would have to have updated your antivirus."

Optimus said nothing.

Ratchet slowly turned back to face him, horror dawning on his faceplates. " _Right_ , Optimus?"

"About that," Optimus started cautiously.

" _Optimus!_ "

"It was not planned," Optimus said quickly.

"That just makes it _worse!_ " Ratchet buried his face in his hands. "Who was it? Was it Megatron? Is that why he's been stalking you worse than usual?"

"Yes," Optimus said. "It was unplanned and we —"

"Ep ep ep," Ratchet cut him off. "I don't want to know the surrounding details. Just answer my questions and I won't have to know anything… else you might have been up to."

Optimus nodded, relieved that he wouldn't have to try to explain the awkward fumble that had led to his current state.

"And I'm guessing that the Matrix is messing with your spark readings, so I'm going to have to figure out how to get a clean voltage output measure without harming any potential newsparks," Ratchet sighed. "Alright, let's start. How many times did Megatron spike you and in what timeframe did this occur?"

Oh no, Optimus realised with horror, this was going to be _much_ worse than stumbling through an explanation himself.

* * *

Soundwave delivered the message with his usual stoicism. Even though Megatron knew from long years of experience that any emotion he thought he detected from Soundwave was purely his own overactive processor projecting onto Soundwave's blank slate, he still swore by the Allspark that Soundwave was judging him as Optimus's voice played.

" _Megatron, I have important information regarding our last encounter. Meet me at these coordinates at sunrise._ "

"It could still be a trap," Megatron mused. "Even Optimus didn't miss what I was looking for last time we met and could have planned according to his assumptions of my actions should I learn he was truly sparked. Perhaps the Autobots have found some new weapon and are planning on using it on me."

Soundwave brought up the coordinates. Not near any former battle sites or Decepticon-controlled energon mines — which would have made it neutral ground, if it hadn't been the Autobots who had picked the location.

"Monitor me and my surroundings closely," Megatron decided. "Even if it is a trap, we still outnumber the Autobots significantly and Optimus wouldn't run the risk of fighting me if he could avoid it. There must be a reason he sent that message."

Soundwave obligingly opened a Ground Bridge two miles away from the coordinates at a high altitude. Megatron stepped through and enjoyed the moment of freefall before he had to transform and start his engine.

The land on the other side was flat for miles. No places for Autobots to hide in an attempted ambush.

Optimus stood there, battle mask in place, but no weapons aimed at Megatron. Yet.

Megatron landed, allowing his plating to shift back into place slowly. Give them an obvious opening and he could ambush the ambushers.

"Optimus, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Megatron said, striding forward.

"Megatron," Optimus said when Megatron was just out of melee range. "I would like to talk with you peacefully."

"Then speak." Megatron spread his arms. "I'm not attacking. Yet."

"You previously noted signs on my frame that you believed to exist because I was sparked," Optimus said. He shifted his weight — he was uncomfortable, Megatron realised — and shut off his optics for a moment. "It turns out that that is indeed the case."

"Knock Out's scan didn't find anything," Megatron said. Anger was beginning to pool in his tanks. "Is this the best you can do, Optimus? Do you really think I'm going to fall for such a weak trick?"

This was the bait, but Megatron couldn't see the jaws of the trap. He engaged his blade.

"You will not find me so quick to leave you alive as I was at our last meeting," Megatron snarled.

"Megatron, wait." Optimus held up his hands. Surrender, not attack. Why didn't he want to fight? "A regular scan indeed found nothing, however, Ratchet has discovered that the Matrix of Leadership masks the extra spark voltage output that is the primary sign of carrying."

It must have been a lie. But Optimus was always such a bad liar.

The trap had yet to spring.

"So you expect me to take your medic's word alone?" Megatron said. "As evidence of a newspark whose only true symptom of existence is unable to be inspected?"

"There is one other way to confirm the existence of a newspark," Optimus said.

"Unless you're going to bare your spark to —" Megatron cut himself off as Optimus's chest plates cracked open. "Optimus?"

They hadn't opened far. Optimus held a hand over the sliver of brilliant blue light escaping his spark chamber. Megatron couldn't tear his optics away. Exposing a newspark directly to the air — especially in an alien atmosphere — would risk it snuffing, however, a sparkmerge would use Megatron's spark as a shield while letting him see the state of Optimus's spark for himself.

"I will need your word that you will not use this as an opportunity to destroy me," Optimus said. He opened his battle mask too. "However, if you are willing, we can perform a sparkmerge and you can know the newspark for yourself."

Even without the tenuous idea of a newspark, Megatron would not have been able to resist this chance to taste Optimus's spark again. He surged forward, reducing the metres separating them to nothing.

Optimus's windscreens flipped up as Megatron's chest plates parted, bathing Optimus in his spark's burgundy light and reflecting off his opaque glass. Megatron pressed them together, crushing his mouth to Optimus's as the first licks of their coronas met, flaring.

Optimus. Wonderful, frustrating, brilliant, maddening Optimus. The Matrix amplified it all, threatening to melt Megatron's circuitry for daring to touch one chosen by a god.

Megatron didn't care. He would have Optimus entirely or die in the attempt. That was how it had always been.

The lethal joy of their merge tempered as Megatron felt the first curious brush of another's light. He let his focus widen and was amazed to find a tiny presence hiding behind the blistering force that was Optimus and the Matrix together.

 _Hello there_ , Megatron sent, more feelings than words.

The newspark didn't respond in kind, which was to be expected. Now that Megatron had noticed it, he couldn't believe he'd missed it before. It was there and alive and _theirs_.

Optimus pulled back, slowly like he didn't want to leave Megatron's sparklight. Spark chambers shut quickly on both sides and Megatron did his best to keep his vents level, even as his frame was whirring with barely-restrained activity.

"There is your proof," Optimus said heavily. His smokestacks were leaking white smoke — how he hadn't noticed he was sparked with so many obvious signs, Megatron would never know.

"What do you want?" Megatron asked. "Why tell me after spending so long denying it?"

"Because this is the truth," Optimus said.

"But what do you _want?_ "

Optimus paused. Megatron ground his denta. He could not allow his sparkling to be raised by his enemies. He could not allow something so insignificant to end the war in the Autobot's favour. He could not allow a sparkling to never know one of its creators. He could not let it be known that he had capitulated to Autobot demands because of a newspark that wasn't even framed yet.

He couldn't, but there was every possibility that he would if Optimus asked here and now.

"A ceasefire," Optimus said.

"If the death of our home planet and thousands of Cybertronians was not enough for the war to end, what makes you think one sparkling will make a difference?" Megatron snapped, already making a list of which Decepticons he would have to tell personally to stand down and who he would just have to kill.

"Not an end, a pause," Optimus said. "I do not think it would be to the benefit of either the Autobots or Decepticons to make peace so readily. If we are too quick to leave the war behind us, it may be the case that it is too easy to start it up again. I propose a ceasefire — we will not engage in direct combat until the sparkling is fully grown."

"And then what? Force them to pick a side and go straight back to trying to kill each other?"

"It is my hope that with enough time spent in close proximity, without the threat of violence, we may be able to reach a greater accord," Optimus said. "And one day end this war, once and for all."

Of course he would be so blasted optimistic.

"You do realise that this sparkling will be in danger from both sides?" Megatron said. "Don't give me that look, some of your Autobots can be just as ruthless as Decepticons."

"All the more reason to stand together and protect them."

Megatron should've known better. He should've known not to get caught up in a victory. Should've known better than to trust that Optimus had protection installed. Should've known better than to pursue a mech so oblivious to his own carrying.

"You are the most frustrating mech I've ever known," Megatron grumbled. "Fine, have your ceasefire."

Optimus smiled. "Thank you, Megatron."

"You will not keep them from me," Megatron said, trying to keep a threatening tone to his voice.

"I believe it would be a good idea to designate some form of neutral ground," Optimus said. "To be used for getting to know one another better and to begin our first steps towards true collaboration."

"Make sure there's a berth there and you've got a deal," Megatron said. "I'd like to take you _properly_ next time."

Optimus flushed dark blue. Megatron grinned, feeling a lot better about everything. It was going to be _fun_ scandalising the Autobots.


End file.
